Odisha: Pradhan dines at Dalit's home in Sambalpur

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan ate food at a Dalit's house in Sambalpur's Kharsanmal village on Sunday.

This came after a family member of the Dalit family named Dileep Kusum invited the union minister to dine with them at their residence.

Pradhan also interacted with beneficiaries of various government schemes in Sambalpur.

As part of the 'Sampark for Samarthan' (Contact for Support) campaign, Pradhan on Sunday met Dr. Dwarika Nath Nayak and singer Dr. Jitendra Haripal in Sambalpur. He also met retired Supreme Court judge Justice D.P Mohapatra and industrialist S.K. Behera at their residences in Cuttack.

The union minister also met eminent Odia author Pratibha Ray at her residence in Bhubaneswar.

The Sampark for Samarthan campaign, started by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to let people know about the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the last four years, aims at meeting personalities from various fields, including entertainment and sports, to garner support for the 2019 general elections.

In the run-up to the next year's polls, BJP president Amit Shah will reach out to 50 people personally with details of initiatives and achievements of the government, whereas each BJP worker is expected to contact at least 10 people.